Pages

Thursday, September 22, 2011

More Things

Alright, so there are more things that I forgot about/aren't worth talking about anymore because they're outdated. For instance, last week I was debating about whether or not I should do the Running Company Sunday long run or doing the Yonkers Half Marathon + 7 instead. Clearly irrelevant now, though perhaps it is worth noting that I did neither because I overslept. I mean, I still did a long run, but it was a short long run. And now, the rest!

2. The Baltimore Marathon - Last week I got some very exciting news. The reGen team sent out an email saying that they had extra slots for the Baltimore Marathon and Hershey Half Marathon and that they were first come first served. Naturally I fired an email right off trying to get entry into either, though I expressed more interest in Baltimore (I love marathons). A couple days later I got the news that I get to race! Actually, speaking of which, I need to send in that form... Don't let me forget...

3. Team Lipstick - I finally made the big decision to rejoin the team. It's a little on the pricey side, but I'm concerned that I'll wait too long to get into the non-running parts of Ironman training if I don't have a higher level of accountability. I did the bike ride on Tuesday morning and it was really hard. I had a rough time and was behind pretty much the entire time. It was demoralizing, but I realize that if I'm ever going to get in shape on the bike, I'll need to go through those crappy stages of the process.

At the end of my second loop around, I came upon an accident that had happened moments before. The riders both seemed to be seriously injured and it was frightening. I hope they're okay, I never found out for sure. First I stopped and helped block the road so that people wouldn't ride into it but then someone thought it would be a good idea for someone to go see if they could flag down a policeman, so I rode to the edge of the park and attempted to do that. I didn't see any police officers, but I was there when the ambulance arrived. Again, hopefully the two men are (or will be) okay.

4. 5th Avenue Mile - This race is taking place on Saturday morning along what is known as Museum Mile. If I remember correctly, it starts at 79th or 80th and runs down to the south end of Central Park at 59th street. It's a really great, fast race and I'm hoping to run it in under 7 minutes this year. On Friday, I trained with Jared. It was a mediocre workout at best because I was really tired and it was in the morning. On the bright side, however, I did manage a 6:57 mile on the treadmill AFTER the workout. That's a good sign, though I did need to hold onto the rails at times, which I clearly won't be able to do at the actual race. I have almost no doubt that I can do it physically. The hard part is all mental.

5. Marathon Tune-Up - This race is on Sunday. It's technically a race, but everyone basically uses it as a long training run. It's 18 miles in Central Park (vomit). This is the ONLY race for which I will do three six-mile loops of the park. Nothing against Central Park, it's a lovely place and I'm sure I'll miss it if or when I ever leave New York City. But it's another one of my mental things. After so many miles in Central Park, I feel like I just need to leave. Whatever my feelings about the course, though, it's a good opportunity to gauge where I am for the marathon. Plus, it's not often that there's a run that's so long AND supported.

6. Birthday Drinking - Yesterday I turned 25. Yayayay...I think? I don't really know. But if you'll remember, when I began my Ironman teetotaling I specified that I would allow two drinking days in the year. One undetermined, and the other my birthday. So, there it was. I made sure to try three different seasonal beers. Got myself a pumpkin ale (mmmm pumpkin ale) and two holiday darks. One was called Santa's Butt and the other Lump of Coal. Awesome, no?

It was a very good day. I enjoyed my beers and got to spend time with good friends. But most of all, I was once again reminded how lucky I am to have so many good people in my life.